Anything with the title Frogged has to be intriguing. Written by Vivian Vande Velde, this extremely fun book takes the whole princess and frog theme to a whole new level. I know what you are thinking. Frogs? Princesses? Another story about a princess and a frog… sigh!

But wait, the frog prince turns out not to be a prince. Instead he ends up being an extremely obnoxious son of a wainwright and more or less the ring leader of a gang of local punks who threw apples at the wrong witch. And he doesn’t like the twelve-year-old princess who occasionally gives him bread because he looks hungry.

And the princess? Well she is two weeks from turning thirteen and is wishing she could be as beautiful as she is supposed to be good. Her mother gives her a book to read in preparation for her birthday. It is called The Art of Being a Princess, which she finds intolerably boring.

After reading the foreword of her new book Princess Imogene looks for something else to do. She meets a frog who convinces her that he is a prince and her kiss will change him back. Unfortunately he conveniently leaves out the part that kissing has dire consequences. Yep, she turns into a frog as he turn back in the son of the wainright.

The witch, whom she finds after hopping all day, regretfully explains that her spell cannot be changed. To be human she has to convince someone to kiss her. Imogene discovers that she is more of a princess than she ever thought when she decides she can’t do that to anyone else.

In her efforts to return to the castle, she gets carried off on a whirlwind of adventures. She finds a real friend and learns more about being a princess. Eventually Imogene gets home, but will she ever be human again?

This book is fantastic. Move over Disney’s Princess and the Frog movie. This story is more than its equal! I really enjoyed it. My thirteen year old is reading it and liking it too. I might even read it out loud to my family. The best part is that boys can enjoy the story too!

There is nothing in this book that parents have to worry about their children reading. I recommend it to everyone, young and old!